Changing Nights

According to the paper today, LOST will be airing on Thursdays next year instead of Wednesdays.  Makes sense, I suppose; no more competition with American Idol.  I don't know what the timing will be, though.  After Grey's Anatomy, maybe, and bump Men in Trees somewhere else?  Or will they want it earlier?  Anyway, works for me.  Of course, this means that it again starts on Dad's birthday.  And Dad is flying to Hawaii on his anniversary, and the anniversary of the crash of Flight 815.  Ah, connections... 
By the time we get to season four, Libbie, Dan and I will have re-watched the first three seasons together, despite the annoying lateness of seasons three's arrival.  What's in store for the fourth season?  I don't know.  I assume we're going to meet at least some of the people on that boat, and I don't think they're up to anything good.  I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of Penny in real-time.  And I suppose there will be plenty of flash forwards now, though I'm predicting it won't only be flash forwards.  Maybe they'll try to make it ambiguous so it'll be hard for us to figure out if it's in the past or the future.  That could be kinda fun...  But I'm not really so crazy about the flash forward thing.  I hated Jack's; soooo depressing.  And even if they aren't depressing, they're going to feel anti-climactic, or rather make the events on the island feel anti-climactic.  We'll see.  Beth says she isn't sure she trusts Damon, Carlton and the gang, and I know what she means, but I like to think they know what they're doing.  Or maybe I just hope... 
Mostly I've been really impressed with LOST, but the fact that it is such a morally and spiritually stimulating show makes certain actions seem all the more troubling, because there's a sense that the writers are condoning it.  That Eko's refusal to repent is laudable rather than regrettable.  That Sun shouldn't have thought twice about killing Colleen or felt a little remorse afterward.  That Desmond and Sayid were fools for letting Mikhail live when they had the chance to kill him and that Sawyer was completely justified in killing Tom even though he was unarmed and had surrendered.  Every time I think of instances like this I hear Gandalf and Dumbledore:  
"Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand.  Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet, for good or ill before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many."
"Pettigrew owes his life to you. You have sent Voldemort a deputy who is in your debt...When one wizard saves another wizard's life, it creates a certain bond between them... and I'm much mistaken if Voldemort wants his servant in the debt of Harry Potter...  This is magic at its deepest, its most impenetrable, Harry. But trust me... the time may come when you will be very glad you saved Pettigrew's life."
Smeagol and Peter.  So despicable and so important.  Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you.  When I started watching LOST, I hoped they were going to debunk the idea that the whole Lord of the Flies scenario is inevitable.  Sawyer's a jerk; Sayid was a torturer; Kate is a fugitive.  Just about all the castaways are damaged goods.  And on the path to redemption.  Damon and Carlton say the show is all about redemption, so I really don't think they're going to let 90 percent of the characters kill each other before the whole shebang is over.  And I don't really think they're saying blowing "bad guys" away indescriminately is the way to go, given the psychological toll such experiences have taken on the likes of Desmond, who killed someone by accident, and Hurley, who feels guilty about deaths that happen around him even though he's not responsible, to say nothing of Sayid, Eko, Sawyer and others who have so much conscious action to repent of.  I just hate it when they seem to backtrack.
I have a feeling that Ben is LOST's Darth Vader, or perhaps Snape.  That is to say, there's a lot more going on with him than we know, and a lot may hinge on where his loyalties lie in the eleventh hour.  I have a feeling that he'll be around until the end, and that he will come off as at least an anti-hero, perhaps spurred into action on behalf of the greater good by Alex or by Annie, who I'm sure we're going to find out more about.  If she isn't dead, she could potentially play a really crucial role.  Even if she is, her memory could.  And maybe he's had altruistic motives all along, though he sure has a twisted way of going about his business.  I think Ben is dangerous and probably psychotic; I don't think he's irredeemably evil, and I suspect he was telling Jack the truth in that last episode.
It's been a while since I've blogged about LOST.  I should get back in the groove, even without new episodes to write about.  Bottom line: I'm extremely excited about the fourth season.  I just hope it's not a relentless bloodbath.